Miguel Cotto ‘couldn’t see where’ Manny Pacquiao’s punches came from during iconic 2009 knockout

Miguel Cotto ‘couldn’t see where’ Manny Pacquiao’s punches came from due to his incredible speed

Pacquiao knocked out Cotto in the twelfth round of their 2009 fight, although the fight wasn’t close up to that point.

The Filipino had won ten of the previous rounds, dropping only the fifth as his relentless and incredibly quick punching combinations proved a nightmare for Cotto to deal with.

The Puerto Rican said as much in the post-fight interview in the ring, admitting that he couldn’t protect himself from PacMan’s incredibly quick punches.

Cotto said: “It really made the difference, you know? He jabs and throws. It makes a lot of difference, because I didn’t see where the punch was coming from.

It came to me, and I didn’t protect myself from the punches.

“I’ve fought everybody, you know? Miguel Cotto comes to boxing to fight the big names. I’m always available. Manny is one of the best boxers we have, of all time.”

Manny Pacquiao named Miguel Cotto his toughest fight in boxing

Cotto may have felt that Pacquiao was too much, but the PacMan also felt it was one of his toughest fights of his career.

He added that the point of his comeback fight with Barrios was to prove that the legendary speed that thwarted Cotto was still there to the fans.

When asked about his toughest fight on Cigar Talk, Pacquiao said: “Cotto fight. He was strong. Very heavy-handed, I felt it.

“I still want to prove to the fans that I’m still here, that I still have that speed and power.”

Pacquiao will hope that the speed and power haven’t left him when he faces Mario Barrios on July 19.